“Ah… why ask it like that?”
Shouldn’t she have just gone with the flow and said, “I’ll head out first,” to spare them both the awkwardness later?
Yan Zhen figured his emotional intelligence was pretty solid for that one, but it turned out he’d stepped right on a landmine. Looking at Mentor Aunt’s pretty face, tinged with a hint of stubbornness, he had no choice but to explain.
“I’m just worried you’d feel uncomfortable, Aunt.”
“We’ve been holding on this long already. What’s a little longer?” Shui Bailan said, her single arm covering her ample chest and hiding the pink cherry at its peak. The incredibly soft mounds pressed down slightly under the pressure. “You went through all this torment because of me. The least I can do is see you fully recover with my own eyes.”
Yan Zhen thought Mentor Aunt must feel guilty for dragging him into this mess. He hurried to reassure her.
“You don’t need to do this, Aunt. I’m a man. A little hardship is nothing.”
“Silly boy, it might be nothing to you, but someone will feel bad for you,” Shui Bailan said softly. “Like Xuan’er. Like your mother-in-law.”
“Would my mother-in-law?”
My sister-in-law dotes on her son-in-law. If she found out I nearly got you killed, she’d probably kick me out of the Yu Family.
“You’re too serious, Aunt.” Yan Zhen shook his head. “Lady Yue Mother might be strict, but she’s not heartless.”
Shui Bailan gave him a meaningful glance.
“My sister-in-law is only nice to certain people, and I’m not one of them.”
“Is that so?”
“You’ll understand soon enough. And don’t go tattling to her.”
“Heh heh, don’t worry, Aunt. I’m not the type to run and snitch.”
Shui Bailan adjusted her silver-framed glasses and tucked a damp strand of hair that had fallen onto the water’s surface behind her ear.
“It’s not just her. Sister Yu Yan and Yu Qing care about you too.”
Yan Zhen blinked.
“Big Aunt really does dote on me. But Little Aunt too?”
“Of course.” Shui Bailan smiled faintly. “She gets a kick out of seeing you embarrass yourself or take a minor hit, but if she saw you really hurt, it’d break her heart.”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek, figuring Mentor Aunt was secretly trash-talking her bestie. He didn’t take it seriously.
“Hard to picture Little Aunt worrying over me~”
“You… if Yu Qing heard that, you’d be in for another fight.”
“Let her come at me. I’m not scared. Worst case, I let her have two or three jabs for all the herbs she’s bought me.”
“You two really are fated nemeses.” Shui Bailan’s expression was helpless, though a trace of envy crept into her tone. “Once you and Xuan’er get married—”
She cut herself off abruptly, then said wistfully, “Never mind. Sort out your own mess. I’m not getting involved anymore.”
Yan Zhen wanted to get along with Dean Little Aunt too, but she always had that spoiled young miss attitude and loved picking on him. There was just no dealing with it.
“I bet she’s secretly crushing on me,” Yan Zhen grumbled. “Poking at me all the time just to get my attention. Hmph~”
Shui Bailan stared at him in stunned silence, at a loss for words.
Yan Zhen cracked immediately, growing awkward.
“Don’t look at me like that, Aunt. I was just joking… Little Aunt and I really don’t get along. I’ll try to give her more leeway from now on. She is family, after all.”
Shui Bailan’s gaze grew strange. She replied offhandedly, “As long as you think that way, it’s good.”
“What about you, Aunt?”
“Me? What about me?”
Yan Zhen put on his most handsome, ingratiating smile.
“Do you care about me?”
Seeing his expectant look, Shui Bailan’s heart—which had just calmed—started racing again. Her cheeks warmed as she murmured softly, “Wasn’t that enough proof just now?”
The white-haired beauty with her snow-white skin released her left arm from her chest and gracefully fell into her niece’s husband’s embrace. Her two massive, water-balloon-like breasts collided and flattened against him, startling Yan Zhen. His arms instinctively wrapped around her slender waist.
“Aunt?”
“You’re… still hurting, aren’t you? Does this… feel a bit better?”
Shui Bailan felt like she was going mad, but she told herself it was just this once. Once everything was over, things between them would go back to normal. A little indulgence now could be forgiven, right?
“You don’t have to force yourself, Aunt. I’m mostly fine now.” Yan Zhen frowned. “Doing this makes my conscience hurt. Like I’m repaying kindness with opportunism, taking advantage of you on purpose.”
Shui Bailan bit her lip, thinking it was debatable who was taking advantage of whom, you pure little fool.
“It’s just emergency treatment. Don’t overthink it. If this helps you feel better, it’s my duty.”
“You’re way too proper about it, Aunt. I saved you purely from the heart—no strings attached.”
“I’m helping you now purely from the heart too—no strings attached.”
“…”
Seeing him speechless, Shui Bailan smiled gently.
“Teasing someone back like this is kinda fun. No wonder Yu Qing never gets tired of it.”
Yan Zhen was utterly speechless.
“Don’t pick up habits from Little Aunt. You’re perfect just the way you are.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Shui Bailan hugged Yan Zhen again, pressing tightly against him. She whispered, “So now you know if I care about you or not?”
Yan Zhen broke into a sweat.
“Sorry, Aunt. I shouldn’t have asked when I already knew.”
“No more talking. Focus on refining that gu worm. They’ll worry if it takes too long.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Yan Zhen gritted his teeth against the soft, plush sensation in his arms, closed his eyes, and sank into meditation, speeding up the gu worm refinement.
Shui Bailan let out a secret sigh, then greedily kissed, licked, and nuzzled Yan Zhen’s neck, ears, and cheeks—like one final indulgence.
A short half-hour later, Yan Zhen emerged from his cultivation trance and opened his eyes. Mentor Aunt was no longer in the tub. She stood neatly dressed by its side, watching him quietly.
She had returned to her usual stern, unsmiling demeanor. Concern for a junior shone in her eyes behind the lenses—no trace left of the earlier seductive bath-time allure.
Seeing him awake, Shui Bailan asked right away, “All good now?”
Yan Zhen nodded.
Shui Bailan sighed in relief, offering a faint smile. “Get dressed first. I’ll call Yu Shizun and the others in.”
With that, Shui Bailan glided out of the bathroom.
Watching Mentor Aunt’s retreating figure, Yan Zhen inexplicably sensed a touch of loneliness about her.
He shook his head, pushing the thought aside, and got up to dress.
In the room, as soon as Shui Bailan emerged, Dean Yu Qing hurried forward. “Everything okay, Bailan?”
Shui Bailan nodded with a smile, saying Yan Zhen had recovered too. Long Ying bolted in first to check on him. Dean Yu Qing followed suit, leaving only Yu Shizun seated in her chair.
Shui Bailan bowed her head deeply at once. “Many thanks for your aid, Your Supremacy.”
Yu Shizun’s voice was icy clear. “Thank Yan Zhen, not me.”
“Bailan understands.”
“He’s Lady Chen Xi’s sole disciple. I had no intention of letting him risk his life to save you, yet he threw himself in without hesitation. How will you repay him?”
“I…”
“A life debt can’t be repaid with mere words. Only your body will do,” Yu Shizun said coldly. “From now on, you’re his woman. Understood?”
Shui Bailan jerked her head up. “But, Your Supremacy, Xuan’er—”
“I’m not formally betrothing you to him as a wife.”
“Then… ah!” Realization dawned on Shui Bailan. She lowered her head. “Bailan obeys Your Supremacy’s command.”
“…I won’t tolerate repeats of this. Behave yourselves.”
With that, Yu Shizun tore open a spatial rift and stepped through, vanishing from sight.
